Oxidative DNA Damage in Rats with Diabetes Induced by Alloxan and Streptozotocin

The role of oxidative stress in the initiation and the complication of diabetes was examined by monitoring blood glucose increase and oxidative DNA damage in rats treated with alloxan or streptozotocin (STZ). Oxidative DNA damage was assessed by quantitating 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine ($oxo^8dG)$ excreted in urine and the $oxo^8dG$ accumulated in pancreas DNA. Both alloxan and STZ treatments resulted in an abrupt increase in blood glucose and significant increases in urinary and pancreatic $oxo^8dG$. Pretreatment of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a glutathione-depleting agent, slightly potentiated the increase of blood glucose and urinary $oxo^8dG$ in the alloxan- and STZ-treated rats. Furthermore, the BSO pretreatment caused significant amplification of pancreatic $oxo^8dG$ increase in the rats. On the other hand, pretreatment with 1,10- phenanthroline (o-phen), a chelator of divalent cations, showed different results between alloxan- and STZ-treated rats. The o-phen pretreatment completely blocked diabetes and the increase of $oxo^8dG$ by alloxan treatment, while it potentiated the increase of blood glucose and $oxo^8dG$ by STZ treatment. The results demonstrate that the causative effect of alloxan on diabetes may be the generation of reactive oxygen species through a Fenton type reaction, but that of STZ may not.